Grillwork



Nov. 23, 1965 w. w. KENNEDY GRILLWORK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. '7, 1961 NVE TQM Mala derw ag I cA-r-romEY/ Nov. 23, 1965 w. w. EN 3,218,770

GRILLWORK Filed Dec. '7, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,218,770 GRILLWORK Walter W. Kennedy, Rockford, IlL, assignor to Barber- Colman Company, Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 157,782 7 Claims. (Cl. 52473) This invention relates to a grille structure such as that commonly used to provide a decorative covering over a wall opening while permitting the free flow of air therethrough, and the general object is to provide a grille which, as compared to the constructions now in common use, is cheaper to manufacture, presents a more artistic appearance, and is easier to decorate as by painting.

More particularly, the invention relates to a grille of the type in which parallel fins are disposed in notches spaced along laterally spaced crossbars and held in place by edgewise compression of the fins between abutments spaced along one side of the crossbar notches, the holding abutments on the crossbars being effectively concealed from view by the grille fins.

A further object is to provide a unique construction of the grille fins which provides optimum over-all rigidity of the grille core for a given thickness of the sheet material forming the fins.

The invention also resides in the novel manner of interlocking the parts of the fins with the abutments on the crossbar notches to facilitate low cost manufacture assembly of the fins and crossbars.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a grille embodying the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 22 FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the grille with parts of the frame and fins broken away.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the grille core in the course of assembly.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the grille fins.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are fragmentary views similar to FIG. 4 illustrating modified forms of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective View of a fin of the grille shown in FIG. 8.

While the invention is applicable to various other types of slatted construction such as awnings, canopies and the like, it is especially adapted for use and is shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration incorporated in a grille such as those commonly used to cover a wall opening of an air conditioning system. In such grilles, a series of generally fiat fins 10 are supported and joined together in spaced parallel relation by laterally spaced bars 11 extending across the fins and interlocked with the latter to form a rigid grille core enclosed in a frame 12. Herein, the latter is composed of side and end members of channel cross section mitered together at the corners of the frame.

In the exemplary grille, the crossbars 11 comprise thin flat strips, preferably of sheet metal, having ends 13 seated in the side channels of the frame bearing against the bottom and rear flange of the channels. The rear edge 14 of each bar is straight and continuous while the metal along the forward edge is cut away to form outwardly opening notches 15 in which the fins 10 are disposed and securely held, preferably under edgewise compression to join the fins and crossbars into a rigid grille core.

The notches extend nearly across the full width of the crossbars and in the present instance are defined by a relatively short side wall 16 substantially perpendicular to the plane of the grille and a longer diagonally extending side wall 17. At the bottoms of the notches, the two walls merge to form seats 18 which may be V-shaped as shown in FIG. 2 or right angular as in FIG. 6. In the final grille assembly, the rear edges 19 of the fins are pressed into and against these seats.

To achieve the several objectives of the present invention, the fins are made wider than the diagonal walls 17 of the bar notches and an abutment indicated generally at 20 is formed on the underside of each fin a substantial distance from the outer edge 21 thereof and faced outwardly toward the latter for engagement with inwardly facing abutments 22 on the side walls 17 of the notches 15. The latter abutments face toward the bottoms 18 of the bar notches and are formed by cutting away inter: mediate portions of the diagonal notch walls. Herein the abutments 22 parallel the plane of the grille while the abutments 20 are disposed at an acute included, angle relative to the outer portion of the fins so as to hook around and interlock securely with the bar abutments.

In the preferred forms shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the fin abutments 20 comprise narrow flanges 23 depending from the undersides of the fins and extending along the full lengths thereof. If desired, the abutments may take the form of a series of flanges or lugs 24 struck out of the metal of the fins and spaced along the latter to match the spacing of the crossbars 11. In FIG. 6, the abutments 20 are the ends of slots 25 punched in the fins and spaced and sized to receive the abutments 22 and also the outer edge portions 26 of the notch walls 17 in the. final assembly as shown at the top of FIG. 6.

To facilitate decorating the fins as by painting the exposed surfaces thereof, the outer edges 21 are rounded and of greater thickness than the fin material. This is accomplished by forming the fins from strips of sheet metal substantially wider than the eventual width of the fins and bending one edge portion 27 of the strips reversely and against the underside of the fins whereby the outer edge portion of the fin comprises two layers of material of different widths lying in contact with each other and integrally joined to form a rounded surface at the outer edge of the fin as shown most clearly in FIGS. 5 and 9. As a result of such thickening, the desired stiffness is imparted to the outer edge portion of the fins while employing fin material of minimum thickness. Formation of the fins with the reversely bent portions 27 also facilitates forming the abutments 20 and concealing the same beneath the exposed surfaces of the fins. Thus, the flanges 23 (FIGS. 2, 5 and 7) may be bent from the inner edge of the bent portion 27. Or, the slots 25 may be punched in such reversely bent portion (FIG. 6).

To assemble the fins and crossbars into a rigid grille structure, it is only necessary to support the crossbars suitably spaced apart in a fixture and drop the preformed fins into the notches 15 as shown in FIG. 4. Then, by pressing the outer edge portions of the fins inwardly along and also downwardly against the portions 26 of the diagonal notch walls, the flanges 23 will be slid inwardly along these walls as the fins become bowed slightly. When the flanges reach and pass over the tip of the abutments 22, they drop in behind and hook around the latter and the outer portions of the fins come against the notch Walls 26. As a result of the bowing and the resiliency of the metal, the fins remain compressed edgewise and securely held between the seats 18 and the abutments 22.

As a result of the edgewise bowing of the fins as above described, the upper exposed surfaces thereof are slightly curved convexly. While this usually contributes to the neat and artistic frontal appearance of the grille, it may be desirable to leave the exposed areas of the fins substantially fiat. This may be accomplished while maintaining the fins under edgewise compression by initially shaping the fins in cross-section as shown in FIG. 7. That is to say, the inner edge portion of the fin as initially formed is bowed as indicated at 30. This allows for the further bowing required for placing the fin under edgewise compression to bring the inner fin edge 19 and the abutment 20 into engagement with the seat 19 and the abutment 22 on the crossbars.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the fins, in the several forms shown, and the notched crossbars comprise simple sheet metal stampings which may be assembled easily and cheaply into a rigid grille core providing an optimum free area for the flow of air therethrough.

At the same time, the crossbars are disposed edgewise to the direction of air flow through the grille and are completely concealed from view by virtue of the inclination of the fin and the extension of the outer edge portions thereof beyond the abutments 22 and the notch walls 26 so as to overhang these walls and the edges 28 of the crossbars between the notches.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a grillwork, the combination of, two laterally spaced fiat parallel bars having outwardly opening notches formed in and spaced along corresponding outer edges thereof and providing seats at the inner ends of said notches, first abutments formed on corresponding side walls of said notches and facing inwardly toward and spaced from said seats, a plurality of thin fins disposed in said notches and lying along said side walls with the inner edges of said fins abutting against said seats, said fins being wider than the length of said corresponding side walls, and second abutments intermediate the edges of said fins on the sides of the latter adjacent said side walls and facing away from said seats in engagement with said first abutments to secure said fins to said bars with the bar abutments and said side walls covered by said fins, said seats and said first abutments being more closely spaced than the normal spacing between said second abutments and said inner edges thereby to hold the fins transversely bowed under edgewise compression in engagement with said seats and said first abutments.

2.. A grillwork as defined in claim 1 in which said second abutments comprise flanges projecting laterally from the surfaces of said fins adjacent said side walls.

3. A grillwork as defined in claim 1 in which said first abutments are spaced inwardly from the outer ends of said side walls and the outer edge portions of said fins overhang and are backed by the portions of said side walls disposed outwardly beyond said first abutments.

4. A grillwork as defined in claim 1 in which said second abutments comprise lugs struck out of the fin material.

5. A grillwork as defined in claim 1 in which the outer edge portion of each of said fins comprises two layers of material of different widths lying in contact with each other and integrally joined and forms a rounded surface at the outer edge of the fin.

6. A grillwork as defined in claim 5 in which the edge portion of the narrower of said fin layers is bent laterally and away from the fin and forms a narrow flange constituting said second abutment.

7. A grillwork as defined in claim 5 in which said second abutments comprise the inner ends of holes punched in the narrower one of said fin layers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,555,626 6/1951 Avers 98-121 2,650,393 9/1953 Coward 18963 X 2,677,158 5/1954 Mayer 20-63 2,792,598 5/1957 Coe 20-63 X 2,839,795 6/ 1958 Ruggles 20-57.5 2,905,286 9/1959 Adams 18982 3,120,036 2/1963 Minds 20-63 RICHARD W. COOKE, JR., Primary Examiner.

JOEL REZNEK, Examiner. 

1. IN A GRILLWORK, THE COMBINATION OF, TWO LATERALLY SPACED FLAT PARALLEL BARS HAVING OUTWARDLY OPENING NOTCHES FORMED IN AND SPACED ALONG CORRESPONDING OUTER EDGES THEREOF AND PROVIDING SEATS AT THE INNER ENDS OF SAID NOTCHES, FIRST ABUTMENTS FORMED ON CORRESPONDING SIDE WALLS OF SAID NOTCHES AND FACING INWARDLY TOWARD AND SPACED FROM SAID SEATS, A PLURALITY OF THIN FINS DISPOSED IN SAID NOTCHES AND LYING ALONG SAID SIDE WALLS WITH THE INNER EDGES OF SAID FINS ABUTTING AGAINST SAID SEATS, SAID FINS BEING WIDER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID CORRESPONDING SIDE WALLS, AND SECOND ABUTMENTS INTERMEDIATE THE EDGES OF SAID FINS ON THE SIDES OF THE LATTER ADJACENT SAID SIDE WALLS AND FACING AWAY FROM SAID SEATS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST ABUTMENTS TO SECURE SAID FINS TO SAID BARS WITH THE BAR ABUTMENTS AND SAID SIDE WALLS COVERED BY SAID FINS, SAID SEATS AND SAID FIRST ABUTMENTS BEING MORE CLOSELY SPACED THAN THE NORMAL SPACING BETWEEN SAID SECOND ABUTMENTS AND SAID INNER EDGES THEREBY TO HOLD THE FINS TRANSVERSELY BOWED UNDER EDGEWISE COMPRESSION IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SEATS AND SAID FIRST ABUTMENTS. 